A higher intake of white-edible-colored fruits and vegetables is associated with lower gastrointestinal cancer risk among Korean adults in a prospective cohort study.

Although fruits and vegetables were studied botanically in previous studies, few have examined their associations with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer risk based on color classification. Color is familiar to the public and translates phytochemical science into dietary guidance. We hypothesized that the intake of fruits and vegetables would be differently associated with GI cancer risk by color.

Large-Scale Dermatopathology Dataset for Lesion Segmentation: Model Development and Analysis.

Background: With the increasing incidence of skin cancer, the workload for pathologists has surged. The diagnosis of skin samples, especially for complex lesions such as malignant melanomas and melanocytic lesions, has shown higher diagnostic variability compared to other organ samples. Consequently, artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic assistance programs are increasingly needed to support dermatopathologists in achieving more consistent diagnoses.

Normative serum cortisol levels in second and third trimesters and their associated factors: A prospective cohort study from Sri Lanka.

Objective: To describe the normative serum cortisol levels during 25-29 weeks of POG and the association of maternal, psychological, and social factors on serum cortisol in the second and third trimesters in a cohort of pregnant women.

Methods: All eligible pregnant women registered in the maternal care program in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka, from July to September 2019 were invited to the Rajarata Pregnancy Cohort (RaPCo). An interviewer-administered questionnaire-based symptom analysis and clinical assessment were conducted at baseline in the first trimester and at follow-up from 25 to 29 weeks POG.

Asian Subgroup Analysis of Patients in the Phase 2 DeLLphi-301 Study of Tarlatamab for Previously Treated Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Tarlatamab is a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) immunotherapy that binds delta-like ligand 3 on the surface of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells and CD3 on T cells, facilitating T cell-mediated cancer cell lysis. In the primary analysis of the phase 2 DeLLphi-301 study (NCT05060016), tarlatamab showed a favourable benefit-to-risk profile with durable objective responses and promising survival outcomes in patients with previously treated SCLC. Here, phase 2 data for the Asia region subgroup are presented.

Challenges faced by adolescents and lung function technicians in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka, during spirometry: a qualitative study.

Background: Spirometry is the gold standard test for diagnosing airway disease. However, conducting spirometry in adolescents (13-14 y of age) is challenging because technicians should build a good rapport and maintain the technical rigour required in adult testing. This study investigated the challenges in spirometry assessment of adolescents with severe asthma.

Projected cancer burden attributable to population aging: Insight from a rapidly aging society.

Population aging is an increasing challenge for cancer control in rapidly aging societies, yet remains inadequately quantified. We aim to project and illustrate the cancer burden attributable to aging in Korea by utilizing age-period-cohort (APC) models and population attributable fraction (PAF) concepts. From population-based cancer data, incidence and mortality of cancers primarily affected by aging (stomach, colorectal, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, lung, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, esophagus, prostate, ovarian, male bladder cancers, and female leukemia) and breast cancer were extracted.

Dopamine D2 receptor modulation of insulin receptor signaling in the central amygdala: implications for compulsive-like eating behavior.

Compulsive eating behavior, characterized by the excessive intake of palatable high-sugar and high-fat foods despite negative consequences, may be associated with dysfunctional dopamine system, specifically involving the dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs). Here, we demonstrate that D2Rs regulate insulin receptor (InsR) signaling in the central amygdala, and this interaction plays a critical role in the persistent, compulsive-like palatable food-seeking behavior. The specific ablation of D2Rs in the CeA markedly enhances compulsive-like eating despite adverse consequences.

Association between long-term exposure to a mixture of ambient air pollutants and the incidences of bladder and kidney cancers.

Background: Evidence regarding associations between air pollution and urinary system cancers, including bladder cancer (BC) and kidney cancer (KC), remains limited and inconsistent. This study assessed the impact of long-term exposure to air pollutant mixtures on BC and KC incidence.

Materials And Methods: Using data from the Korean National Health Information Database (2011-2021) and air pollution estimates (2007-2019), we conducted a nested case-control study involving 3788 BC cases with 15,152 matched controls and 4084 KC cases with 16,336 matched controls.

Temperature effect on scrub typhus incidence in South Korea: the projection for climate change.

Objective: The influence of climate change on infectious disease dynamics is a subject of interest, but it demands robust scientific evidence. This study explores the short-term and long-term relationships between meteorological factors and the incidence of scrub typhus (ST) in South Korea.

Methods: From 2001 to 2018, data on meteorological conditions and weekly ST cases were sourced from national databases.

Causal Attributions in Patients With Breast and Gynecological Cancers: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Understanding how patients with cancer attribute their illness is crucial for improving public health interventions and support strategies. This scoping review explores perceived causal attributions among women with breast and gynecological cancers, focusing on quantitative studies. It further examines regional and temporal patterns and identifies gaps in public awareness.

Interaction between dietary nutrients related to one-carbon metabolism intakes and rs819173 polymorphism in the risk of gastric cancer: a case-control study in Korea.

B vitamin and methionine intake may influence cancer development, but their link to gastric cancer (GC) risk is unclear. Nutrients related to one-carbon metabolism (OCM) have been shown to be associated with S-Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY), one of the most crucial enzymes in OCM, which is regulated by the gene. Thus, we hypothesized that a higher intake of total nutrients related to OCM may reduce the risk of GC, and this preventative effect may interact with the rs819173 polymorphism.

ACAA1 knockout increases the survival rate of KPC mice by activating autophagy.

Objectives: We found that the levels of the peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation (FAO) marker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients were higher than those in healthy individuals, based on tissue microarray analysis. This study investigates FAO in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models.

Methods: To examine the role of FAO in the peroxisome, we created acetyl-coenzyme A acyltransferase (ACAA1) knockout mice, crossed them with KPC mice, and monitored their survival rates.

VEGF Signal Complexity Confers Resistance to Atezolizumab, Bevacizumab, Carboplatin, and Paclitaxel in EGFR-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Resistant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Atezolizumab, bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel (ABCP) therapy is beneficial for epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI)-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the resistance mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we conducted a single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC patients grouped into ABCP responders and non-responders. was overexpressed in ABCP responders, whereas was upregulated in non-responders.

Efficacy and toxicity of PARP inhibitor in elderly patients with homologous recombination-deficient newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer: the role of dose modification.

Objective: To investigate the impact of age on the progression-free survival (PFS) and dose modification, discontinuation and adverse events of poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) maintenance therapy in homologous recombination-deficient (HRD) ovarian cancer patients.

Methods: We analyzed 324 patients with advanced stage III-IV epithelial ovarian cancer who had either BRCA mutation or HRD between July 2019 and November 2022. The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of PARPis by comparing PFS between patients who received PARPis and those who did not, specifically within 2 age groups: patients aged <60 years and those aged ≥60 years.

Protocol for generation and utilization of patient-derived organoids from multimodal specimen.

Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) are robust preclinical models for precision oncology. However, most existing protocols depend on surgically resected specimens, limiting their applicability to patients who are ineligible for surgery. Here, we present a protocol for generating PDOs from various clinically accessible specimens-including biopsies (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy [EUS-FNB], percutaneous liver biopsy [PLB], ascites, and pleural effusion)-across cancer types.

PriorCCI: Interpretable Deep Learning Framework for Identifying Key Ligand-Receptor Interactions Between Specific Cell Types from Single-Cell Transcriptomes.

Understanding the interactions between specific cell types within tissue environments is essential for elucidating key biological processes, such as immune responses, cancer progression, inflammation, and development, in both physiological and pathological studies. The predominant methods for analyzing cell-cell interactions (CCI) rely primarily on statistical inference using mapping or network-based techniques. However, these approaches often struggle to prioritize meaningful interactions owing to the high sparsity and heterogeneity inherent in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, where small but biologically important differences can be easily overlooked.

Impact of Infection on Chemotherapy in Patients With Primary Ovarian Cancer.

Background: To investigate the impact of infection (CDI) on chemotherapy in patients with primary ovarian cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with primary ovarian cancer diagnosed with CDI at the National Cancer Center, Korea, between January 2014 and December 2023. Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms and positive stool tests were included.

Cervical Cancer Screening, HPV Vaccination, and Cervical Cancer Elimination.

Importance: To accelerate cervical cancer elimination, it is essential to evaluate the combined impact of ongoing screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination efforts, as the disease remains a significant global public health concern.

Objective: To estimate how different cervical cancer screening strategies, along with HPV vaccination, affect the cervical cancer burden in South Korea.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This decision analytical model used a deterministic age-structured dynamic model to simulate HPV transmission and cervical cancer progression, considering sexual behavior and population structure, for the Korean population from 2024 to 2100.

Machine learning based classification of catastrophic health expenditures: a cross-sectional study of Korean low-income households.

Background: Despite the National Health Insurance (NHI) system implemented in South Korea, concerns persist regarding access to health coverage for low-income households. To address this issue, this study aims to use machine learning-based data mining techniques to classify whether such households will face catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs).

Methods: A total of 4,031 low-income people were extracted using 2019 data from the Korea Health Panel Survey.

Crystal structure of Fis1 and Bap31 provides information on protein-protein interactions at mitochondria-associated ER membranes.

In eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) form close contacts at mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs), which are involved in diverse cellular processes. The outer mitochondrial membrane protein Fis1, known for its role in mitochondrial fission, has been reported to interact with the ER-resident protein Bap31. Here, we present crystal structures of the cytosolic domain of human Fis1 in two distinct conformations, along with a co-crystal structure of Fis1 bound to the C-terminal region of the Bap31_vDED domain.

Proteogenomic Insights Into Glioblastoma Evolution: Neuronal Reprogramming and Therapeutic Vulnerabilities.

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most lethal and treatment-resistant malignancies, characterized by high recurrence rates following standard-of-care therapy. While previous longitudinal studies employing whole-exome and RNA sequencing have revealed patient-specific clonal evolution, they have not identified conserved biological programs that drive recurrence or therapeutic resistance. A recent study published in presents the first integrated proteogenomic analysis of matched primary and recurrent GBMs.

National cancer control plans in ANCCA member countries: advancing a pan-Asian cancer initiative.

Asia, home to nearly 60% of the world's population, bears a substantial portion of the global cancer burden, making effective control strategies crucial. The 2017 WHO resolution on cancer prevention and control highlighted the importance of developing and implementing National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs). We reviewed the current landscape of NCCPs in 21 countries of the Asian National Cancer Centers Alliance.

Notch2-expressing CD4 T cells attain immunoregulatory functions during autoimmune inflammation.

Autoantigen-specific CD4 T cells are central to the development of autoimmune diseases, while the expansion of regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing Forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) is essential for mitigating these conditions. In this study, we identified CD4Notch2Foxp3 T cells in the spinal cords of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model mice, and patients with ulcerative colitis as immune regulatory cells. These cells exhibited a nonproliferative, dysfunctional phenotype and demonstrated immune regulatory functions, including suppressive activity against activated CD4 T cells and marked Treg cell expansion activity.